A multifunction printer includes a printing apparatus and an image capture apparatus, such as an optical scanner for scanning or copying. Conventional optical scanners operate by imaging an object (e.g. a document) with a light source, and sensing a resultant light signal with an optical sensor array. A document or other object to be scanned is placed on top of a transparent platen below which the scanning optical sensor array, light source and optics are mounted. Each optical sensor or photoreceptor in the array produces a data signal representative of the intensity of light impinged thereon for a corresponding portion of the imaged object. The data signals from the array sensors are then processed (typically digitized) and stored in a temporary memory for subsequent manipulation and display or for printing on the associated printing apparatus in the multifunction printer. The image of the scanned object is projected onto the optical photosensor array incrementally by use of a moving scan line. The moving scan line is produced either by moving the document with respect to the scanner optical assembly or by moving the scanner optical assembly relative to the document.
Various types of photosensor devices may be used in optical scanners. One type of photosensor device is a charge-coupled device (CCD). A CCD builds up an electrical charge in response to exposure to light. The size of the electrical charge built up is dependent on the intensity and the duration of the light exposure. In optical scanners, CCD cells are aligned in a linear array. The length of the linear array is typically somewhat less than the length or width of the document scanning region. Each photoreceptor of the CCD has a portion of a scan line image impinged thereon as the scan line sweeps across the scanned object. The charge built up in each of the pixels is measured and discharged at regular sampling intervals. An image of a scan line portion of a document is projected onto the scanner's linear sensor array by scanner optics. In typical CCD scanners, the scanner optics include an imaging lens which typically reduces considerably the size of the projected image from its original size. The scanner optics provide good depth of field in such a CCD scanner.
A second type of scanner is the contact image sensor (CIS) scanner. A CIS scanner includes a contact image sensor having a length that is substantially equal to the width of the scanning region. The CIS has a short depth of field and is typically mounted beneath the transparent plate (scanner glass) upon which the document is placed. One or more rollers in the CIS carriage are biased against the bottom of the scanner glass so that the CIS is always at substantially the same distance from the top of the scanner glass.
In addition, although some printing jobs are sent from a host computer that is adjacent to the multifunction printer, other jobs are sent remotely over a network. When a user sends a printing job from a remote location, the user may not know whether or not the job was printed successfully.
Consequently, a need exists for a multifunction printer having an image capture apparatus including a camera configured in a fashion that is consistent with compact height. In addition it is advantageous if the camera can also be used to monitor the printing operation of the multifunction printer.